


We Are

by strangenessandcharm



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: (when have i ever written anything not ot7 heavy), Codependency, Friendship, Implied Relationships, M/M, Minor Injuries, Nightmares, OT7 heavy, Slice of Life, but not entirely?, even the gyuyeol is pretty background, kind of dystopian au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-10-25 09:38:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10761585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangenessandcharm/pseuds/strangenessandcharm
Summary: Not all sacrifices are bloody and violent. Not all resistance is loud and your face. Not every day is a battle or a protest. Sometimes resistance is living your life the way you want to - no matter how risky. Sometimes it’s getting through one day, and then the next, so you can make a difference in the end.Sunggyu never planned to join a resistance, had no desire to fight the system. Except somehow he finds himself de facto leader of a ragtag group of men who just want to live their lives in a world that wants to control every facet of them.Now he wouldn’t have it any other way.





	We Are

**Author's Note:**

> I managed to even make a dystopian au boring. I don’t know how I do it tbh, plot is not my friend.
> 
> My goal was a story for Sunggyu's birthday that was no longer than 4,000 words. This is double that length and two days late so as always i failed on both counts xD

A _nything they say_  
_Will never break our hearts of gold_  
_When you're standing on the edge_  
_So young and hopeless_  
_Got demons in your head_  
_We are, we are_

 

 

No one who ever met Kim Sunggyu would have said he was the kind of person that had his life plan set in front of him. He wasn’t. He did have a vague idea what his future held though, and not once had he ever considered that it would be trying to survive the autocratic wasteland his city had become.

Ten years ago though the world had been a different place. Not perfect, not free, but a damn sight closer than it was now.

Now everyone spent their days in constant fear of stepping out of line; of being seen to step out of line even when they were doing the right thing.

Sunggyu had never planned to join a resistance, had no desire to fight the system.

Except that’s where he is now. It started slowly, in the accepting of lost souls into his apartment. Of admitting he’s a lost soul himself.

Resistance starts in small actions. It’s choosing friendship when the government wants none. It’s choosing to think critically, to question the government though never out loud. It’s choosing to love.

Sunggyu has found that resistance crept up on him. That one day it was choosing to shelter a emaciated former dancer in his spare room because it was the right thing to do. The next was helping a co-worker move in with him when he was at risk of being sent to the shitshow that was government housing.

That the days, the little moments added up until Sunggyu found himself de facto leader of a ragtag group of men who just want to live their lives in a world that wants to control every facet of them.

This is Sunggyu’s life now whether he wants it or not.

Good thing he wants it.

 

 

 

When Sunggyu get’s up at 6 in the morning as is his routine these days he’s expecting to have the apartment to himself. None of them are what could be called early risers. Sunggyu didn’t used to be either though now he has learned to find a sort of peace in the early mornings.

Sometimes he’ll see Myungsoo, if he needs to be at the court house early, or Sungyeol depending on when his shifts at the hospital are. Nine out of ten morning’s he’s alone.

This morning he’s not.

Hoya is sitting on the kitchen bench. Chances are he probably hasn’t gone to bed yet. He definitely hasn’t left the house in eight days, and Sunggyu knows he’s probably reached the end of his rope.

“Good morning,” Sunggyu says, when it becomes evident that Hoya isn’t going to say anything.

“Morning,” Hoya says, voice short. Sunggyu takes no offence (though he will admit that had taken a lot of practice). He doesn’t know how he’d deal with being so cooped up all the time.

Hoya apparently is in no mood to say more so Sunggyu doesn’t bother trying to engage him in conversation as he goes about his usual routine. He makes sure he knows what everyone else’s schedule is for today. Myungsoo and Dongwoo will need to be woken up in half an hour, Sungjong is good about getting himself up. Woohyun works evenings and Sungyeol had slipped off to work at 3am this morning.

At some point Hoya slips off the bench and disappears, Sunggyu doesn’t notice him go, only notices when he returns. He’s fully dressed now, bundled up in a coat that Sunggyu is pretty sure is not his, as opposed to the tank and sweats he prefers around the home.

Clearly Hoya’s off.

“Any idea when you’ll be back?” Sunggyu asks, cradling his cup of coffee and leaning against the doorframe as he watches Hoya gather some supplies.

“Soon,” Hoya says. All that means is it’ll probably be less than a month this time. Whether that’s 20 days or 2 days Sunggyu wouldn’t even try to guess.

“Be safe,” Sunggyu says lamely, because he’s not one for expressions of emotion but he does worry about Hoya.

“Can’t promise that,” Hoya says, the opposite of reassuring, before he’s out the door.

Sunggyu sighs, watches the door for a few minutes, before deciding to get started on the day.

Hopefully he can make himself scarce by the time Sungjong realises Hoya is gone.

 

 

 

There’s an inspection that night, after Sunggyu gets home from work. It’s pretty run of the mill, government officers come in, ask about the occupants of the house and their careers. Sweep the house for anything incriminating or out of place. Move on.

It helps they all (with the exception of Hoya) hold respectable positions. It helps that one of the inspectors assigned to their apartment building likes to flirt with Woohyun and goes easy on them. It mostly helps they’re all present.

The one time Sungyeol and Woohyun had both been absent for inspection had been hell. They’d had spontaneous check ups for weeks afterwards.

“How does he do that?” Myungsoo asks curiously, when they’re sure the inspectors aren’t going to come back.

“You’re going to have to be a bit clearer who you’re talking about,” Sungyeol says with a sigh from his position curled up in the corner of the couch. He hadn’t moved at all since he’d gotten back from his shift, even through the inspection, “The government probably pays him well.”

“Hoya, how does he always know there’s going to be an inspection,” Myungsoo says not bothering to snark back at Sungyeol. No one does when he’s this tired.

Sunggyu had never thought about it before but now that Myungsoo has pointed it out Hoya has only been around once during an inspection and that was during the month they had surprise inspections every few days.

“Ask him,” Woohyun suggests dropping onto the opposite side of the couch from Sungyeol. He’d barely been home five minutes when the inspector came round, “If he ever gets back.”

Woohyun looks annoyed, like he always does when Hoya goes MIA.

“Well, that was fun,” Dongwoo says facetiously, lying spread eagled on the living room floor, “One day they’re going to notice that more than 6 people live here.”

“It’s not like Hoya’s stuff takes up much room,” Sunggyu points out, rubbing at his eyes. Inspections always put him on edge, especially when they’re not finished till after midnight.

“I think our biggest worry is going to be a neighbour dobbing us in,” Woohyun says, chewing his lip. Woohyun stresses about them being found out more than the rest of them. At first Sunggyu had thought he was opposed to Hoya living here, now he knows better, “I’m sure one of them must have noticed there’s more than six of us.”

“Why do you think Hoya rarely leaves the house,” Sungjong says serenely, looking around for a spot to sit before deciding to sit on the coffee table.

“It’s not like the neighbours compare notes either,” Sungyeol points out, “Arrange a schedule to take pictures of those boys in apartment 5C and compare. They’ve got better things to do with their lives.”

“None of them want closer scrutiny anyway,” Myungsoo says. Sunggyu agrees, they’re in a part of the city where inspections are pretty lax (if you can call them that - Sunggyu would hate to see the other parts of the city) and no one wants to change that.

“I know,” Woohyun says. He doesn’t look any happier though. Myungsoo wraps an arm around his shoulder.

Inspections put everyone on edge but none of them more than Woohyun.

 

 

 

Usually at 3 in the morning Sunggyu would be sleeping especially when he has work the next day. Tonight though he’s going over minutes for the meeting he’d had to miss because of work this evening. It could probably wait until the weekend, but he hates missing meetings and being behind the consensus.

Something about the fact they keep minutes strikes Sunggyu as absurd and uncharacteristic (and risky) but he knows why. He knows how their lives mean people often miss meetings. He knows how much ground can get covered in a single meeting and he knows that making sure that everyone stays on the same page is so so important.

He’s almost finished (he can tell by the way Dongwoo had started going off topic - his attention span wanes as meetings start to wrap up) when there’s a knock on his bedroom door.

For a second he thinks he must have imagined it, there’s no reason for anyone to be up this late let alone outside Sunggyu’s bedroom door. It comes again.

“Come in,” Sunggyu calls out softly, knowing at least half the house are asleep. He’d assumed they all were, but clearly not.

The door pushes inwards to reveal Myungsoo, his pillow tucked under his arm. He looks sleep mused but alert, holding himself with a stiff tension that isn’t usually there.

“What’s up?” Sunggyu asks him appraisingly. Myungsoo shifts his weight from foot to foot.

“I just saw your light was on,” Myungsoo says, shutting the door behind him, “And wondered why you were still up. Wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

Sunggyu might have believed that but the fact Myungsoo is up in the middle of the night is unusual. No one loves sleep more than Myungsoo.

If Sunggyu had to hazard a guess he’d say that Myungsoo’s had another nightmare (Myungsoo doesn’t usually seek Sunggyu out when he has nightmares but he seeks _someone_ out so they all know about them. As far as Sunggyu is aware Dongwoo is the only one who knows what causes them).

Myungsoo very clearly doesn’t want to talk about it so Sunggyu just pats the ned next to him, “Everything is fine,” Sunggyu says soothingly, “I’m just catching up on the meeting from today.”

“Oh,” Myungsoo says, not needing anymore prompting to scramble up on the bed next to Sunggyu, “You didn’t miss much. You weren’t there, neither was Hoya. Or Jonghyun. Or Hyorin. Or Jiae. Or,”

“I get the picture Myungsoo,” Sunggyu says. They don’t use real names for the minutes of course, if anyone’s phone gets compromised or searched they don’t want them all to go down. Still he’d noticed the lack of particular voices.

“I’m just saying pretty much everyone that drives these things wasn’t there so, it was pretty boring,” Myungsoo says with a shrug as he rests his head on Sunggyu’s shoulder.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Sunggyu says, wrapping an arm around Myungsoo, “what are you doing up so late anyway?”

He gives Myungsoo an opening to talk if he wants but doesn’t force him to. That’s not really his area of expertise, rather it’s Dongwoo’s. And Sungjong if Sungyeol is to be believed (Sunggyu doesn’t really believe Sungyeol).

“I Just, couldn’t sleep,” Myungsoo shrugs, before he adds with a cheeky grin, “And Sungyeol was sleeping in the same room as me so I assumed there wouldn’t be anything too traumatising going on in here.”

Sunggyu knocks Myungsoo’s head with his hand in reprimand. It’s so gentle that Myungsoo probably barely feels it, “Watch it.”

“Or what? You’ll sp-” Myungsoo starts to say. Sunggyu covers his mouth with his hand.

“I’m going to assume you’re sleep deprived and delirious and were about to say something entirely innocent,” Sunggyu says calmly.

Myungsoo giggles, and when Sunggyu removes his hand doesn’t say anything.

“Can I sleep here tonight?” Myungsoo asks him eventually, once Sunggyu has finally finished his reading of the minutes. Myungsoo was right, they were pretty pointless.

“Of course,” Sunggyu says. They have six beds for seven people and rarely do they all get used. It comes with the territory Sunggyu guesses. Comes with their pasts.

Myungsoo smiles at him in gratitude anyway, “Thanks.”

“Yeah, yeah, now. Sleep,” Sunggyu says, pushing Myungsoo away from him playfully, “Some of us actually have work tomorrow.”

Myungsoo doesn’t say anything just splays all over Sunggyu’s pillow as if he didn’t bring his all. The smug smile says he’s doing it on purpose.

Sunggyu should be surprised, “brat.”

 

 

 

“Please tell me Sungyeol is home,” Woohyun bursts through the door one evening, out of breath and looking worse for wear.

“He’s in the shower,” Sunggyu says looking up slowly from the laptop he’s working on at the dining room table, “Why?”

“Sungjong got stabbed,” Woohyun says looking half crazed

Sunggyu stands up so fast that his chair falls over, “What? Where is he? Stabbed where?”

“I’m here,” Sungjong says, walking through the door with Myungsoo hovering behind him, “And I was hardly stabbed.”

“You were kind of stabbed,” Myungsoo disputes, pushing Sungjong towards the couch in the living room. Sunggyu would warn them about getting blood on the couch but that ship sailed a long, long time ago. They’ve become experts are removing blood stains and reupholstering when necessary.

“Not stabbed, just cut,” Sungjong argues, shrugging off a jumper that Sunggyu recognises as Woohyun’s “there’s a difference.”

Sunggyu has to agree with him there, stabbed sounds so much more violent.

“Fine you were cut, you’re bleeding, sit down, shut up and someone go get Sungyeol,” Myungsoo snaps looking like he’s considering sitting on Sungjong so he doesn’t run away.

“I’ll get Sungyeol,” Sunggyu volunteers to get away from the squabbling.

As he goes he hears Sungjong mumbling about how of course he wants the wound dealt with he’s not actually an idiot. 

Sunggyu knocks on the bathroom door but walks in before he gets any reply, “Sungyeol,”

“Water is too precious for shower sex,” Sungyeol retorts without greeting, “Your rule.”

Usually Sunggyu would snark back something about Sungyeol being the most prone to waste their water rations but right now that’s not a priority, “We need your medical knowledge.” Sunggyu says, without introduction.

Sungyeol’s head pops out around the shower curtain, “Why?” he asks suspiciously, “If Dongwoo ran into a wall or Woohyun burned himself trying to cook they can live with the consequences for once.”

“Sungjong was cut or stabbed, verdict is out on what exactly,” Sunggyu says cutting straight to the point because Sungyeol could listen to his own sarcasm for days.

The playful grin falls of Sungyeol’s face immediately.“Where? How bad?” he asks as the water turns off.

“I don’t know,” Sunggyu says as he holds Sungyeol’s towel out to him. He doesn’t actually know the answer to either of those questions, he’d been sent for Sungyeol before he could ask. Somewhere on his torso if Woohyun’s jumper was anything to go by. They’d probably given it to him so as to not draw attention to blood soaked clothes.

“What the fuck kind of use are you then?” Sungyeol snaps as he snatches the towel.

“He’s walking and talking and arguing about whether he was stabbed or cut, so he’s not dying?” Sunggyu offers. Medical stuff has never been his strong point, he tries to avoid it as much as possible.

“Reassuring.” Sungyeol says dryly.

Sunggyu leaves him to get dressed and goes back out the the living room. Myungsoo is sitting next to Sungjong now, hovering as he is want to do whilst Woohyun is off in the kitchen talking furtively into his phone.

Sunggyu with the well practiced ease of routine retrieves the ridiculously well stocked first aid kit Sungyeol keeps under Sunggyu’s bed and by the time he sets it on the table Sungyeol is emerging from the bathroom, pulling his surgical gloves on as he goes. “Alright, let’s have a look then.”

It takes Sungyeol 20 minutes to sew up the long cut that’s running across Sungjong’s hip, declaring after one look that Sungjong wouldn’t need the hospital.

The room lets out a sigh of relief at that. If Sungjong had needed the hospital then they would have taken him in a heartbeat, but a trip to the hospital is never good, especially not for an external wound.

None of them want that kind of scrutiny. Or the debt to the government.

Just as Sungyeol is finishing Dongwoo comes bursting through the front door making a beeline straight for Myungsoo without even bothering to take off his shoes (Sunggyu can’t find it in himself to scold him). “Are you okay?” He asks, pulling Myungsoo to his feet as if to check for injury.

“I’m fine,” Myungsoo says, sounding annoyed but standing still and letting Dongwoo look him over, “Sungjong was stabbed not me,”

“I’m fine as well,” Sungjong waves his hand sarcastically from his spot on the couch, “thanks for asking.” He pauses, “Also I wasn’t stabbed.”

“Sungyeol’s got you,” Dongwoo says as if that means anything. It kind of does.

“You were stabbed,” Myungsoo argues, “With a knife.”

“It wasn’t really a stab wound,” Sungyeol says backing Sungjong up as he stands up with a stretch, “Thankfully, that would have been nasty.”

“How did it even happen?” Sunggyu asks what he’s been waiting to ask since they walked through the door now he knows Sungjong is relatively okay and Dongwoo is here to hear.

“There were some kids, on the street,” Woohyun says face hard, “I’m not sure if they were rioting or fighting or looting.”

Not that it made the difference in the eyes of the law.

“Were there police? Were you seen?” Sungyeol asks with a worried frown as Dongwoo stops his fussing over Myungsoo and instead tucks him under his arm (Myungsoo has to bend his knees of course to fit but he does it without complaint. Perhaps he’s more bothered by this whole ordeal than he’s letting on).

“Not that we saw, it was just getting started,” Woohyun rubs at his face, “I don’t think the kid meant to get Sungjong?” he doesn’t sound sure.

“As long as no one saw you there that’s the most important thing,” Sunggyu says. He feels bad that’s his current preoccupation but being seen at a riot means you were participating in it in the eyes of the law. No one wants that.

“I think we’re safe,” Myungsoo says sounding sure, despite the little waver in his voice.

 

“Okay,” Sunggyu nods, pulling out his tablet and trying to see if he can scrounge up some information about what’s going on. The official news channels (all two of them) aren’t going to have anything yet, not until the rioters (if they even are that) have felt the true weight of the law.

“No one tell Hoya,” Sungjong says, before everyone starts to drift away back to their own thing (though Sunggyu thinks they’re all going to stay pretty close to Sungjong tonight).

“He’s probably going to notice the giant slash wound,” Sungyeol points out gesturing to the bloody spot on Sungjong’s shirt.

“Not if I can help it,” Sungjong says haughtily, “Now am I allowed to go change out of my blood soaked clothes or am I going to need an escort.”

“I’ll be your escort.” Myungsoo raises his hand, straight faced, “After all we don’t want you tripping on Dongwoo’s mess and undoing all of Sungyeol’s hard work.”

Finally they crack a smile.

 

 

 

“I miss Hoya,” Myungsoo complains from where he’s sitting cross legged at their living room table, legal documents and other pieces of paper Sunggyu can’t even begin to decipher spread out around him.

“Me too,” Sungyeol agrees from where he’s lying with his head over the arm of the couch. He’s sprawled across the couch so no one else can sit on it but Sunggyu is loathe to chastise him for it because he’s just come off a double shift, “When he’s not here we suffer through Woohyun’s cooking.”

“Woohyun is a chef,” Sunggyu reminds Sungyeol mildly, mostly so Woohyun won’t hear them all complaining and bitch them out.

“Woohyun is a Légumier,” Sungyeol says in the same way one might say Woohyun was a dishwasher.

“Woohyun is a lemur?” Dongwoo asks the sound of the front door shutting behind him.

“Légumier,” Sungyeol repeats slower. Sunggyu tries to remember he’s sleep deprived and that strangling their doctor would be counter productive, “He’s a vegetable chef.”

“What’s a vegetable chef?” Dongwoo asks curiously. Sunggyu is kind of curious himself though he could probably hazard a guess.

“He cuts vegetables, makes salad, the kind of stuff not even Myungsoo could fuck up,” Sungyeol explains, swinging his legs but not getting up to offer Dongwoo room. Dongwoo shrugs and sits down next to Myungsoo.

Myungsoo flips them off, still frowning at his legal documents.

The room falls into relative silence then as Dongwoo stacks some of Myungsoo’s papers together to make room for his own marking at the table. Sungyeol probably falls asleep and Sunggyu concentrates on the heavily sanitised version of the news that’s currently playing on the television.

Myungsoo continues to make little sighing noises that they all chose to ignore until eventually Dongwoo caves in and asks him what’s wrong, as Myungsoo had clearly been fishing for.

“I miss Hoya,” He repeats.

Clearly there is more significance to the comment then they realised if he’s repeating it.

“Why?” Sunggyu asks to get this over with.

Myungsoo wrinkles his nose and makes a pretty hideous face, “Because I need his help.”

“Aren’t you doing work,” Sungyeol points out, not even bothering to open his eyes.

“Yes,” Myungsoo says.

“Hoya was a dancer.” Sunggyu says slowly, not quite sure Myungsoo is on the same page as any of them, “Why on earth would you need his help with the law?”

“Because you need to know the law to live around it for so long,” Myungsoo explains. Which makes a kind of sense if you’re talking criminal and registration law but as far as Sunggyu is aware Myungsoo works more in financial and tax based areas.

“Well looks like you’re just going to have to do the job you’re paid for alone,” Sungyeol says. Sunggyu really wishes he’d shut up.

“Why does Hoya know about tax law?” Sunggyu asks Myungsoo to distract from Sungyeol. Also he is slightly interested.

“A lot,” Myungsoo says as if that makes sense. When he can see no one else understands he sighs then elaborates, “That’s how they get you, you know. If you don’t have a government sanctioned job, you’re obviously not gonna do your tax return if you don’t want to end up in a quarry.”

“Which is illegal,” Sunggyu completes. It makes, a lot of sense. It’s something he knows of course but since he’s always done his tax return (he doesn’t want to do a long stint in jail thank you very much) he’s never thought about it too closely, “Once you slip out of the system you’re practically fucked.”

“Exactly,” Myungsoo nods, “I guess Hoya wanted to see if there was a way back in or something.”

Sunggyu can’t believe Hoya wants back in the system but it doesn’t matter. They all know there’s no way back.Not anymore.

Sometimes though Sunggyu doesn’t know if being in the system is any better than the existence Hoya lives.

 

 

 

Sungyeol shows up after work one evening with a plastic bag tucked neatly under his shoulder. That’s not such an uncommon site that it’d draw attention in itself. Rather it’s the smug smile that Sungyeol is sporting.

“What did you do?” Myungsoo asks after taking one look at Sungyeol.

“Who says I did anything?” Sungyeol asks. It would be a valiant effort perhaps, but the smirk ruins the effect.

“Your face,” Sunggyu interjects helpfully. Myungsoo nods enthusiastically as if Sunggyu has said something enlightening.

“Your mum’s face,” Sungyeol mutters petulantly.

Sunggyu rolls his eyes and grabs Sungyeol’s arm to pull him down onto the couch next to him. Sungyeol goes willingly, tucking himself into Sunggyu’s side.

“What’s in the bag then?” Sunggyu asks as Sungjong floats over from the dining room table, clearly intrigued by the conversation but refusing to admit it.

“Oh, I come bearing gifts. For everyone except Myungsoo,” Sungyeol says, sticking his tongue out at Myungsoo.

“Sunggyu was being meaner than me,” Myungsoo says scrunching his face up in a glare.

“Sunggyu is Sungyeol’s favourite though,” Sungjong says as he takes a seat on the coffee table in front of Sungyeol.

“Shut up and let Sungyeol explain his presents before he explodes from pride,” Sunggyu says with a sigh, “I’d prefer not to lose our doctor to his own ego.”

Sungyeol elbows Sunggyu in the side.

But then because Sungyeol is predictable and an ego-driven creature he reaches into the bag and pulls out a tablet.

“We have a couple of those,” Sungjong points out dryly, eyebrow raised.

“Yes,” Sungyeol says theatrically, seemingly undeterred by the scepticism he’s being met with, “But we don’t have jailbroken tablets.”

“They’re jailbroken?” Sunggyu asks, snatching the tablet out of Sungyeol’s hands, “For real? Actually jailbroken? Not just circumventing the net restrictions?”

They have one tablet between the seven of them (unless someone is hiding one) that circumvents the internet restrictions. There are understandably a great deal of fights over possession of it. Jailbroken though is a whole other level.

“Actually jailbroken,” Sungyeol says, producing two more from the bag and handing them to Myungsoo and Sungjong, “they’re not presents for you guys personally though, you have to share.”

Three jailbroken tablets are valuable. Dangerous to possess, but only to an extent. They look the same as regular tablets and Sunggyu can’t remember the last time an inspector bothered to check the security of their electronic devices.

“Where did you get them?” Myungsoo asks in awe, turning the tablet over like it’s a fresh punnet of strawberries or something.

“I’m that good,” Sungyeol shrugs mysteriously.

Myungsoo scoffs and tries to launch himself at Sungyeol but only succeeds in knocking Sungyeol intoSunggyu and Sunggyu off balance.

Sungjong sits on the table and laughs at them all.

 

 

 

Of course it takes a couple of days after Sungjong’s whole stabbing incident before the rest of them stop hovering around him.

Sungjong takes it with remarkably good humour, all things considered. That doesn’t mean he particularly enjoys it though, anyone with eyes could see.

Six days after the incident Sunggyu takes pity on him and chases Woohyun and Dongwoo - the worst of the hoverers - off by sending them out on an assignment.

Then he goes looking for Sungjong. He finds him sitting in front of the television looking as miserable as Sungjong ever allows himself to look. His hands are twitching.

“Don’t scratch,” Sunggyu warns him, sitting down on the couch next to him. Sungyeol had said that the itching would be terrible as the wound started to heal - something about nerves and physiological sensations. Sunggyu hadn’t really been following.

“I know that,” Sungjong says crossing his arms over his chest, probably out of an effort to control the urge as much as to look annoyed, “But you’re not the one with the itch from hell.”

“It’s just biology” Sunggyu tells him with a shrug.

“It’s just biology that makes me wanna punch you in the face,” Sungjong mutters under his breath.

Sunggyu ignores him and instead they sit together and watch some propaganda trying to pass itself off as one of the dramas of old.

It takes less than five minutes before Sungjong’s hand starts creeping closer to his hip.

“Don’t scratch,” Sunggyu says, reaching down to grab his hand and halt its movement.

“What are you going to do? Hold my hand to stop me?” Sungjong asks sarcastically.

Sunggyu eyes their joined hands consideringly before shrugging, “Yeah, I think I might.”

Sungjong shoots him a look like he thinks Sunggyu has done something particularly ludicrous before he sighs and goes back to watching the drama, complete with sarcastic comments that he excels at.

Sunggyu keeps to his word and doesn’t drop Sungjong’s hand.

“Cute,” Myungsoo says when he emerges from the nap he’d been having in the bedroom, “Just don’t let Sungyeol see.”

“Well, I for one think it’s cute Sunggyu is learning how to deal with human intimacy,” Sungyeol says arriving home with perfect timing as always, “It’s Hoya we should be glad isn’t here.”

“Hoya wants Sunggyu?” Myungsoo asks with a confused frown.

Sunggyu throws the remote at Sungyeol’s head who just dodges with a laugh.

Sungjong’s hand twitches.

The three of them yell in unison, “Don’t scratch.”

 

 

“You know I’m going to stop getting you guys presents if this is the treatment I get in return,” Sungyeol says, breaking the early morning silence. He’s just come back from an overnight shift and is lying spread eagled on the breakfast bar as Sunggyu leans against the fridge and drinks his coffee.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Sunggyu says and for potentially the first time in his life actually means it.

“You’ve been watching me suspiciously. Ever since I bought those tablets back the other day,” Sungyeol says. Sunggyu can’t see his face from this angle, but he’s well versed enough in Sungyeol to imagine the injured expression he’s probably pulling.

“I’ve seen you maybe four times since then,” Sunggyu points out, not bothering to keep his voice down. The others should be getting up soon anyway.

“And every time, suspicion just hangs over me,” Sungyeol waves his hand in the air before letting it flop down onto his chest.

“That’s because you’re a suspicious person,” Sunggyu says. Everyone has learned to be wary of Sungyeol when he’s in one of his moods because his practical jokes whilst not exactly sophisticated are inconvenient to say the least (though they all need them once in awhile - provided they’re not the one on the receiving end).

“I didn’t murder a child to get them if you were wondering,” Sungyeol says getting to the root of what Sunggyu is suspicious about with his usual ease.

“I would hope you didn’t murder _anyone_ ,” Sunggyu says dryly.

“Not anyone who didn’t deserve it,” Sungyeol says. It’s a joke. Sunggyu is pretty sure at least.

“Hoya helped you get your hands on those tablets didn’t he?” Sunggyu asks finally voicing what he’s been thinking since Sungyeol produced them.

He’s not sure where that suspicion came from, except maybe the years he’s known Sungyeol and Hoya. And the years he’s known _SungyeolandHoya_.

“Yeah,” Sungyeol shrugs like it’s no big deal. It usually wouldn’t be a big deal - it would be expected. The thing is no one’s seen Hoya in ten days.

“One day you two are going to have to tell us where he goes when he’s not here,” Sunggyu says, putting his almost empty coffee cup down on the counter.

“I don’t actually know,” Sungyeol says. It might be naivety or wishful thinking but Sunggyu believes him, “And honestly I didn’t really do anything to get them,” Sungyeol admits, sitting up so he can face Sunggyu, “Hoya just gave them to me after work the other day. Told me he’d be back soon. Also I should make it harder to sneak up on me.”

“He’s not wrong there,” Sunggyu says, knowing he’s probably pulling a displeased face. After a long shift Sungyeol is somewhat checked out, which is understandable, but Sunggyu knows he’s not the only one that worries.

“The point is,” Sungyeol says with an exaggerated eye roll. Sunggyu supposes he should be thankful that he’s not yelling as he usually does when someone suggests walking him home from work, “Stop being suspicious of me when you should be interrogating Hoya.”

“Hoya’s back?” Dongwoo asks, stumbling into the kitchen still half asleep. Honestly it’s a shock that he got himself out of bed in the first place.

“No,” Sunggyu says as Dongwoo sort of lays himself over Sungyeol’s back. Sungyeol doesn’t bat an eyelash.

“Oh,” Dongwoo says, pulling a face that would probably be described as a pout in any other circumstance.

“I’m sure he’ll be back soon,” Sungyeol says, patting at Dongwoo’s hand. Hoya had said soon but Hoya had a weird concept of time (which probably came from not having a real job).

“I miss him,” Dongwoo says plainly, “It’s not the same when we’re not all here.”

The few times someone other than Hoya had been missing had felt wrong. Hoya going missing is wrong in a familiar way. The sort of way you adapt around so you don’t even notice that something isn’t quite right until it’s fixed.

Dongwoo’s not wrong.

“You just say that because Hoya is the best at obtaining controlled goods,” Sunggyu says rolling out his neck, mind already moving on to trying to wake Myungsoo up. This conversation is as good as over.

Dongwoo pauses before he shrugs with a grin, “Well yeah. And sometimes he gets bored and cleans.”

 

 

 

Sunggyu is less surprised than he should be to find Sungyeol curled up in his bed, hours after he said he was going off to sleep.

“You have your own bed you know,” Sunggyu points out, closing the door behind him. Technically Sunggyu is the only one of them to have a room to himself but that’s only because there’s only really space for his bed and a small chest of drawers in this room.

Back when Sunggyu had lived in this apartment alone it had been a study but it’s been so long Sunggyu can hardly remember what it used to look like.

“We only have 6 beds,” Sungyeol mutters head buried under Sunggyu’s pillow.

It’s true, because obviously the inspectors would notice a seventh bed, but Hoya is still not here. “Six beds, six of us here tonight.”

“Are you really complaining?” Sungyeol looks up at him with an appraising look.

“It depends,” Sunggyu says quickly changing out of his work clothes into his sleep wear, “What time do you have to be up in the morning.”

Sungyeol is usually very good about getting up at ridiculous hours quietly, but Sunggyu is a light sleeper out of necessity so he very rarely manages to sleep through Sungyeol slipping out of bed.

“I don’t,” Sungyeol says like it’s the most exciting new he’s had in weeks. It probably is, Sunggyu can’t remember the last time Sungyeol had a day off.

“Oh, well I guess you can stay then,” Sunggyu says as he climbs into bed, pushing Sungyeol further into the wall. Sungyeol doesn’t say anything (For once - probably a sign of how tired he is) just curls up, back to Sunggyu.

 

 

“Has anyone seen my coat,” Sungyeol yells one morning stomping around the house.

“This coat?” Sungjong asks dryly, holding up the coat that had been hanging in the entrance hallway on the coat hooks.

“No that one’s got blood on it, it needs cleaned,” Sungyeol says with a wave of his hand. Sungjong gives it a vaguely disgusted look.

“Sungyeol you can’t just hang your bloody coat up with the rest of our stuff that’s disgusting and unhygienic,” Woohyun pops his head in from the kitchen to glare.

“It’s on the inside,” Sungyeol waves him off, “And it was mostly dry by the time I got home,”

“That doesn’t make it better,” Woohyun grumbles, but he clearly decides it’s not worth the argument and disappears again.

“My coat,” Sungyeol demands again, standing in the middle of the living room when it becomes clear his coat hasn’t appeared in the last ten seconds.

“Hoya took off wearing someone else’s coat,” Sunggyu says looking up from his book and deciding to put Sungyeol out of his misery, “Could be yours?”

“What did it look like?” Sungyeol demands as Sungjong returns, wiping at his hands like he thinks he’s gotten the blood on them. Probably trying to provoke a reaction.

“It had fake fur around the hood?” Sunggyu says because he wasn’t exactly paying attention at 6 in the morning, “It was clearly way too long for him.”

“That fucker,” Sungyeol mutters under his breath, “Now I have no coat.”

“You could have washed the blood off your other one,” Is Woohyun’s cheerfully yelled suggestions from the kitchen.

“Fuck off,” Sungyeol yells back, though his words are slightly muffled on account of the fact there is now a coat covering his face.

“You can borrow mine,” Myungsoo says glaring at Sungyeol, “As long as you stop fucking yelling at 7 on a Saturday morning.”

“Sorry,” Sungyeol says looking only slightly apologetic.

Myungsoo grumbles out something incoherent that might be an attempt at words before he returns to one of the bedrooms. Sunggyu doesn’t think they’re going to see him again until the afternoon.

Sungyeol shrugs the coat on then and make his way to the entrance hall, “Sungyeol,” Sunggyu calls after him.

Sungyeol turns towards him, “Remember we’ve got that, meeting tonight,” Sunggyu says quietly. Hoya has assured them that there are no bugs in the house, but Sunggyu is always, always going to be paranoid about that.

They’re not even doing anything particularly rebellious, but to the government not falling directly into line is as bad as bombing the inner city.

Sungyeol’s face grows serious, no more of the dramatic exaggeration from a moment before, and then he’s gone.

Sunggyu sighs and returns to his book.

 

 

 

Sunggyu doesn’t realise Hoya is home until he walks in on him and Woohyun arguing in low voices one day when he returns from work.

“The least you can do is send a message and let us know you’re not dead.” Woohyun is saying, frown evident on his face

“Have more faith in me than that,” Hoya says with a scoff, rolling his shoulders like he does when he’s trying to hold himself back.

“It’s dangerous out there and you’re running around out there alone for weeks at a time with no contact. It’s not _you_ I lack faith in,” Woohyun says stepping forward.

“I know how to take care of myself,” Hoya says taking a step forward as well until they’re right up in each other’s space, “Plus who said I was alone?”

“Secret meetings with Sungyeol hardly count,” Woohyun says with a glare.

“Woohyun, it’s none of your fucking business what I do with my life,” Hoya says. Sunggyu winces. That is definitely the wrong thing to say (if he wasn’t so used to Hoya he’d probably be as mad as Woohyun).

“It is when we risk our necks having you live here,” Woohyun says. Sunggyu should step in.

“I was here first,” Hoya says which is true, technically. Not in the eyes of the government though, “If you didn’t like it you didn’t have to move in.”

Woohyun clenches his first because that’s a sore spot for him. Hoya has a way of cutting to the core of people’s insecurities when he’s angry. “Fine, be a selfish fucker. I see that’s still all you know how to do.”

Sunggyu decides it’s time to announce his presence.

“Gentlemen,” he says leaning against the wall, “Could we perhaps keep the friendship shattering arguments for another day.”

They both turn towards him but no one says anything.

“Hoya, glad to see you,” Sunggyu says eventually cringing at how awkward the words are. Defusing situations has never been his strength.

“At least one person is,” Hoya snarks back. Woohyun frowns

“That’s not,” Woohyun starts to say before falling silent.

“There’s more than one,” Sunggyu says to Hoya before pointedly adding, “How about you go and check on Sungjong.”

It’s a general statement, a normal distraction technique when it comes to Hoya but either someone has told Hoya already or Sunggyu is easier to read than he ever considered because Hoya’s eyes narrowed, “What happened to Sungjong?”

“I thought you weren’t going to tell Hoya about the stabbing,” Myungsoo says walking into the room.Sunggyu had thought he was still at work but clearly not

“We hadn’t,” Woohyun says dryly as Hoya turns to Sunggyu with a frown.

“Oops, my bad,” Myungsoo shrugs not looking particularly apologetic. He was the one most against not telling Hoya about it so he’s probably done it on purpose.

“Sungjong got stabbed?” Hoya asks sounding concerned.

“I didn’t get stabbed,” Sungjong materialises from the hallway., “I got cut and it’s fine, don’t worry.”

“Don’t worry says you,” Hoya mutters under his breath as he strides towards Sungjong, the argument with Woohyun clearly forgotten, “Show me.”

“Can you two take this somewhere else,” Sunggyu says, with a raised voice. Even though Hoya seems to have found more important things than the argument to think about the way Woohyun is holding himself says he hasn’t and probably needs time to cool off.

“Come on you overprotective sod,” Sungjong says, dragging Hoya by his hand towards the bedrooms, “Sungyeol stitched it up it’s fine,” the pointed look he shoots Sunggyu over his shoulder (a look that is probably ignored but not missed by Hoya) says that Sunggyu owes him one.

“Why is he so frustrating?” Woohyun groans, sitting on the couch and burying his head in his hands.

Myungsoo and Sunggyu exchange a look before Myungsoo, bless his socks, speaks up so Sunggyu doesn’t have to. “Probably comes from being in entertainment. I hear dancers are all theatrical fuckers.”

Woohyun chokes out a laugh. It’s progress

 

 

 

A day after Hoya get’s back he ambushes Sunggyu.

Ambush is perhaps something of an over exaggeration. Rather Hoya lets himself into Sunggyu’s bedroom, takes a seat on his bedside table and announces, “You need to quit your job.”

Sunggyu lowers his tablet and looks at Hoya hoping to convey how stupid he finds that suggestion without words. Hoya shakes his head, “I’m serious.”

“I know you don’t have much of a concept of working and all,” Sunggyu drawls, “But it’s not actually that easy.”

Hoya flinches slightly. Sunggyu hadn’t been trying to be an asshole there, and perhaps his word choice was a bit harsh, but the point stands.Sungjong had changed his job late last year and the bureaucracy had taken close to six months.

“I know it’s not easy, but you need to do it,” Hoya says eventually, “and soon.”

“What do you know?” Sunggyu demands putting his tablet to the side and leading forward. This isn’t Hoya being a shit, this is that thing Hoya does where he tries to warn them about things he’s heard about without giving them incriminating information.

“Nothing concrete,” Hoya says, “Just that you really don’t want to be there in a couple of months time.”

Hoya is obviously lying, Sunggyu knows all his tells by now. Sunggyu doesn’t push it though because he knows Hoya does this so that it’s not obvious that they’re getting information the average citizen doesn’t have. So if they’re questioned they don’t have to lie.

It’s still incredibly annoying to be met with cryptic statements, to have to trust Hoya blindly. Sunggyu does trust him of course, and almost always follows his advice, but sometimes it’s a challenge.

“Is there anywhere in particular I should be applying to move to?” Sunggyu asks carefully.

Hoya’s shoulders relax slightly when it becomes clear Sunggyu isn’t going to push for more information, “It’s up to you. Just be careful of the quarries.”

It’s a thinly veiled warning. Sunggyu wonders if that means his company is corrupt, going under and the employees are going to end up at the quarries or if it means his company getting involved with the management of the quarries. He doesn’t know which one would be worse.

“So you’re asking me to run my options by you?” Sunggyu asks with a quirked eyebrow.

Hoya smiles, flashing his teeth, “exactly.”

 

 

 

There are some weird things that go on in this house, Sunggyu would know, but walking into the kitchen to find Sungjong sitting on the bench shirtless with Sungyeol standing between his legs is one of the most unexpected.

It takes his sleep fogged mind a couple of seconds to process that Sungyeol has his glasses on and his first aid kit spread out on the bench behind Sungjong.

Still Sunggyu can’t help saying, “No hanky panky in the kitchen,” as he comes into the room.

“I think you two are the ones that need that reminder,” Sungjong says before hissing in pain, “Careful,” he scolds Sungyeol.

“Sorry, accident,” Sungyeol says not looking particularly sorry. It wasn’t an accident.

Sunggyu walks around the counter to look at the wound curiously, “You know I kind of thought it’d be more healed than this by now.”

“Yes, well someone clearly hasn’t been taking my advice to go easy on their hip,” Sungyeol says shooting Sungjong a pointed look.

Sungjong meets his gaze head on.

“If it’s not quite healed yet,” Sunggyu says curiously leaning against the wall to watch Sungyeol work, something he’ll probably never get tired of, “Should you be taking the stitches out?”

“Do you want to be in charge of the medical care for the six idiots in this house? Because take over, be my guest,” Sungyeol says making as if to step back from Sungjong.

“I just want to know,” Sunggyu says hastily, “I’m showing interest in your work.”

“Oh is that what that is,” Sungyeol scoffs before he answers the question. “if we leave the stitches in too long then the skin will heal around them, which is not good,” Sungyeol explains as he crouches over to better see the wound, “So we’re taking them out even if Hoya’s return is going to hinder the healing process.”

Sungjong hits Sungyeol on the head which is a risky move considering the position they’re in right now.

“I will leave these sutures in indefinitely,” Sungyeol threatens even though they all know he wouldn’t. There aren’t many things Sungyeol takes seriously in life, but medicine will always be one of them.

Sungjong smiles serenely (Sunggyu wonders how he does it when Sungyeol is poking around his open wound) and says, “If you do I’ll tell everyone about last year in Gangnam.”

And that’s the end of that.

 

 

 

Sunggyu comes home one evening to find Dongwoo and Woohyun sitting at the coffee table (because no one in this house ever works at the single desk they have between them) heads bowed together and paper spread out everywhere. Clearly Woohyun has been the one unlucky enough to be roped into helping Dongwoo mark assignments today.

Sunggyu walks over to them and picks one of the pieces of paper. It’s math, Dongwoo’s least favourite subject

Even before, teachers hadn’t had enough time in the day to mark and prepare lesson plans. These days Dongwoo either has to get help marking or doesn’t sleep.

“You want to help?” Dongwoo asks Sunggyu with a bright smile.

“It depends,” Sunggyu says, flipping the page over, “Have the government worked out how to turn math into propaganda yet? Does 1 + 1 still equal 2 or is it now ten?”

“Math is still math,” Dongwoo says with a laugh.

“For now,” Woohyun mutters underneath his breath without looking up from the child’s equations he’s marking.

“I suppose I can help,” Sunggyu says, dropping his briefcase and sitting on the couch. Dongwoo hands him a stack of papers and a red pen.

Sunggyu rarely helps Dongwoo with his marking. The first time he had tried he’d quit out of anger. The government had been approving text books as long as Sunggyu could remember but the extent to which distortion of the truth has gotten makes his blood boil.

Some of these kids were going to have no chance to think critically.

(He’d asked Dongwoo, once he’d walked away and calmed down, how he did it. Taught such clearly false bullshit. How he lived with himself.

Dongwoo had told him that whether Dongwoo taught it or not this was what the kids were going to learn. He might as well do it and make sure the kids had a chance to think critically. He had to do it so someone cruel, someone who believed the government's bullshit didn’t crush the kids.

Sunggyu had thought that perhaps Dongwoo was the strongest and bravest of them all).

Eventually, as the rest of the residents of the apartment return, they somehow get roped into helping. Myungsoo sitting back to back with Dongwoo. Sungjong lying sprawled on his stomach across the floor. Sungyeol still in his medical scrubs tucked up on the opposite side of the couch to Sunggyu, foot tucked under Sunggyu’s thigh.

Well. Almost all of them. Hoya lies with his head resting on Sungjong’s back as he read something on his tablet.

“Math isn’t my strong suit,” he claims when Sungyeol complains playfully about him not pulling his own weight.

“Dongwoo’s students are eight,” Woohyun points out dryly, pointing his pen in Hoya’s direction.

“It’s _really_ not my strong suit,” Hoya says with what he probably thinks is a charming smile.

Most of the room groan and Sungyeol and Myungsoo throw their pens at Hoya in protest. They miss and one of the pens bounces off the back of Sungjong’s head.

When Sungjong turns to glare both Myungsoo and Sungyeol deny having thrown the offending pen and their peaceful evening descends into a chaotic mess.

(At the end of the night they all come together to help Dongwoo finish his marking off without any discussion though. Of course they do).

 

 

 

Sometimes, when he can’t sleep or when they’ve had a particularly rough day Sunggyu finds himself checking on the others.

It’s stupid he knows, because he lives with a bunch of grown men and not children prone to night terrors or unruly teenagers he can punish for sneaking out. It’s still something he does.

Maybe it’s to reassure himself that they’re okay, but that’s not something he’s going to think too hard on or admit to the others.

He cracks open the door to the first bedroom, the room that had once been his an eternity ago. Dongwoo is sprawled across the mattress in the middle of the floor, his hand curled around Myungsoo’s ankle. Myungsoo and Woohyun are curled up together on the second mattress in a way that hardly looks comfortable, Woohyun’s leg is trapped under Myungsoo’s body and probably lacking blood flow. His elbow is digging into Myungsoo’s stomach and Myungsoo’s neck is at such an angle it looks like it could snap off any minute. Whatever works for them though because they’re both clearly asleep.

The third mattress in the room remains predictably empty.

Sunggyu watches them for a couple of minutes before shaking his head with a fond smile and making his way to the second room. This one sees another empty bed unsurprisingly. Sungjong and Hoya are sharing, legs tangled together but otherwise looking pretty comfortable. At least compared to the two in the other room.

Sunggyu pauses again, though for less time, before he goes to pull the door shut behind him.

Before he gets the chance though Sungjong speaks up, startling Sunggyu. He hadn’t known he was awake. “You’re not actually our dad you know,” he whispers, clearly trying not to wake Hoya.

“No, considering I was two when Dongwoo was born, I’d say it’s pretty obvious,” Sunggyu counters, leaning against the door frame trying to play it off like he’d known Sungjong was awake all along.

He’s probably doing an appalling job but Sungjong is kind enough not to mention it.

Sunggyu’s also not a big one for incest either but he’s not giving Sungjong that ammunition even half asleep.

“It’s just, you’re not responsible for any of us, for what happens to us,” Sungjong says in that uncanny way of his.

“Obviously not,” Sunggyu says with an over exaggerated huff, “If I took responsibility for all the shit you guys find yourselves in I would have been dead from the stress a year ago.”

Sunggyu can’t see Sungjong’s face particularly well in the shadows but he can just imagine the judgemental look he’s being shot right now. Thankfully Sungjong doesn’t push it, instead says “Goodnight Sunggyu.”

“Goodnight Sungjong,” Sunggyu says, leaving the room.

He’d not been lying, exactly. He doesn’t think he’s responsible for the decisions they all make. He’s not so arrogant to think he’s got any sort of influence over what these fully grown men chose to do with their life.

He does acknowledge though that perhaps he feels some sense of protectiveness over the others. Maybe it’s because he’s the oldest, maybe because it’s his house. Maybe it’s because with the exception of Hoya they were all more or less law abiding citizens before moving in here.

Sunggyu has never been one to examine or overthink his motivations closely. All he knows is that he’s not responsible for what these boys do but he’s responsible for what happens to them.

It’s a responsibility he’s more than willing to bear.

Before he gets too caught up in his own thoughts, a place he doesn’t particularly enjoy being, he heads back to his own room.

It hasn’t escaped his notice that Sungyeol is in neither of the other bedrooms.

“We’ve talked about this,” Sunggyu says to Sungyeol when he opens his bedroom door. Sungyeol’s not sleeping this time. He’s sitting on Sunggyu’s bed, leaning against the wall glasses falling down his nose.

He’s got one of Sunggyu’s books in his hands, one of the few that Sunggyu has managed to keep from before the government had full control over the publishers.

“Talked about what, you watching us all when we sleep?” Sungyeol snarks back. He marks his place in the book carefully with a bookmark, “I know, it’s frankly pretty creepy.”

“I’m trying to figure out the best way to murder you in your sleep,” Sunggyu retorts immediately.

“I don’t think so,” Sungyeol says consideringly as Sunggyu comes to sit next to him, “I think you actually care about our health and happiness.”

“Health yes. The happiness I’ll take or leave,” Sunggyu shrugs resting his head against the wall with a thump. He’s exhausted.

“You’re not fooling anyone you know,” Sungyeol says with a grin that manages to be both teasing and soft, “We know you love us.”

Sunggyu swallows, “I suppose I’ve grown fond of you all. Maybe I won’t murder you in your sleep,” he says eventually.

Sungyeol shakes his head with a sigh muttering something about Sunggyu being impossible under his breath. As if he’s in touch with his emotions.

“It’d be a waste of breath to tell you to remember to look after yourself, wouldn’t it?” Sungyeol asks.

“What are you talking about? I’m always my first priority,” Sunggyu says with a haughty shake of his head. That’s what the others like to tease him about anyway.

“Dumbass,” Sungyeol shakes his head before leaning forward to kiss Sunggyu.

They don’t talk more about it, or anything, again that evening.

 

 

 

Sunggyu never thought he would end up trying to lead a group of men through the dystopian nightmare their society was slowly morphing into. When he’d been young he’d never considered him to be the sort of person to lead. To inspire anything in anyone.

Then again he never thought the country he grew up in would end up this way.

He knows now though that what he’s doing with his life is important. That little acts of resistance are sometimes more important, more impactful, than starting a riot or setting fire to the streets.

He knows that it’s okay to live in the system and it’s okay to live outside the system. He knows that the most powerful form of resistance is living the life you want to live despite the consequences.

It’s finding the good days, the friendships and the love amongst the bullshit.

It’s teaching kids to think critically, it’s healing the wounded or fighting the legal system the best you can.

It’s surviving, and _living_ and working towards the betterment of the world.

Sunggyu never wanted to lead anyone. He knows that really these people - his boys, but their extended circle of friends as well - don’t need a leader.

They need hope. They need unconditional support. That’s something he can provide.

Sunggyu never meant to find a family in a group of rebels. Sunggyu never meant to rebel at all.

Now he wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

 

 

 _No ground beneath your feet_  
Now here to hold you  
'cause we are, **we are**  
**The colours in the dark** ([x](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRLLWNIqb8w))

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I wrote about tax returns in a semi-dystopian au. yes i am ashamed. let's not talk about it ever again (honestly I cut my fave plotline from this because .. it was ground i've tread in another au already and Woohyun Deserves A Break)(But also it had the most ruthless Gyu so without it he because a bit softer than I meant here)
> 
> Anyway I hope everyone has an excellent day :)


End file.
